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A Vibrant Platform At The Service Of Cluster Organisations

The European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) is an action of the Cluster Internationalisation Programme for SMEs funded under COSME launched by DG GROW of the European Commission in 2016.
The ECCP provides networking and information support for clusters and their members aiming to improve their performance and increase their competitiveness through trans-national and international cooperation.

About Cluster Organisations

This is the stage on which cluster organisations present themselves - their structures, services, experiences and above all, their interest in cooperation with peers. We invite you to explore this diverse cluster community, identify your potential cooperation partner and show the world what you are good at - by profiling your organisation !

What is ESCP-S3 ?

The European Strategic Cluster Partnerships for smart specialisation investments (ESCP-S3) are transnational cluster partnerships that support cluster cooperation in thematic areas related to regional smart specialisation strategies and to increase the involvement of the industry in the context of the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation.

What is ESCP-4i?

The European Strategic Cluster Partnerships – Going International (ESCPs-4i) are transnational cluster partnerships that develop and implement a joint internationalination strategy and support SME internationalisation towards third countries beyond Europe.

What are ESCPs ?

The European Strategic Cluster Partnerships have been launched by the European Commission as effective means of supporting cross-border collaboration for the benefit of SMEs with the ultimate goal of boosting economic growth and competitiveness in Europe.

About matchmaking events

ECCP organises inter-European matchmaking events, as well as opportunities for you to meet your peers from other countries – either in EU or abroad. Find also additional international matchmaking opportunities promoted here.

About European Cluster Initiatives

As an information hub, ECCP collects and structures a wide variety of information relevant for cluster organisations from various European programmes and initiatives like the ones below.
These are supporting in different ways the interaction between clusters and for driving the competitiveness of European businesses. We offer you here the unique opportunity to find out more about the most relevant cluster-related projects and what you can learn from them. Or, why not, cooperate with them!

India

India can be considered as a promising but also challenging destination for cooperation for European SMEs and cluster organisations. Although science and technology cooperation between the EU and India has been particularly strong in the past decade, cluster-specific cooperation projects have been slower to emerge.

India has been mentioned as a target country by 7 European clusters taking part in the European Strategic Cluster Partnerships – Going international (ESCP-4i). These partnerships address the following sectorial topics: environmental industries and clean technologies; food packaging; IT based Smart City solutions; Transport.

Economic and political context and framework

India is the second largest country in the world with more than 1.21 billion inhabitants. GDP growth rate in India has increased in the past years from 5.6 % in 2012 to around 7.5 % between 2014 und 2016. In 2015, India was ranked 55th in terms of global competitiveness and among the top 50 countries in terms of being innovative.

Overall, India offers a dynamic economic and innovation environment and a large local market for European enterprises and research institutions. This is also reflected in the fact India is ranked as the 9th important trading partner of the European Union with a share of 2.2 % of EU’s overall trade with the world.Read less.

Cluster Development is seen as a strategic tool to develop India’s economy. Nevertheless, there is no recognizable, holistic approach for cluster policy in India. Many ministries have their own initiatives to support clusters in their own field. The most holistic approach is set by the Indian Government Development Commissioner Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).

The National Innovation Council (NInC) of India also act to catalyse and facilitate creation of innovative clusters through Cluster Innovation Centres (CICs).Read less.

Cluster to cluster cooperation opportunities and potential interest from European clusters and SMEs

Cooperation between India and EU with regard to innovation and research has a long history, and was formally initiated with the signature of the EU-India Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in 2001, and which was renewed in 2007 and 2016.

The EU-India cooperation was implemented and supported through various initiatives in recent years, notably the INNO INDIGO project, the EU-India S&T Cooperation Portal, the India GATE, the BILAT EUINEC and the India SI House project. The most relevant technological subjects for cooperation projects were Scientific Research, Environmental Protection, Medicine and Health, Life Sciences, and Medical Biotechnology.

The “Roadmap for EU – India S&T cooperation” identifies the main sectors of cooperation for India and the EU. These are related to clean technologies, smart cities, health & food, bio-economy, nanotechnologies and advanced materials.Read less.

Cooperation Agreement

News

On 17-21 September 2018, you are welcome to join the India - EU Clean Energy Days & International Matchmaking organised by Business Beyond Borders (BBB) together with European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC) and supported by European Commission. The event is free of charge and will be featured in the Renewable Energy India 2018 Expo , the international exhibition for renewable energy. This...Read more

The International Solar Alliance first summit in March 2018 opens the path to new cooperation opportunities on solar energy between the EU, India and beyond. The International Solar Alliance (ISA), gathering more than 121 countries, is a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation which aims at promoting the use of solar energy, to come as a replacement for fossil fuel. The partnership was launched in 2015...Read more

Smart Cities-related technologies have been targeted as an area for cluster cooperation in the yet to be released India Discussion Paper. Following this trend, the India Smart Cities Forum and India Smart Villages Forum were jointly organised by India and EU representatives. The organisers were namely, the Department of Management Studies, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (DMS, IIT Delhi) and FI...Read more

Achievements

ESCP-4i News

India is the selected FoodPackLab territory for potential collaborations with third countries . The starting point was a preliminary analysis by the FoodPackLab consortium that led to 3 preselected territories: South Korea, Turkey and India . In terms of the market size, South Korea was by far the most important territory, its value being 1.5 times higher than the ones in Turkey and India. However, the consortium decided to choose the most promising territory – India , according to several criteria, one of the most important being the information provided by the SMEs from the 5 networks with respect to the...

The PERES project (“Promoting European Rail Excellence outSide EU”) is a ESCP-4i – European Strategic Cluster Partnership of the Second Generation (2018-2019) in the Preparation Phase – Strand 1, aiming to deliver a Joint Internationalization Plan and Implementation Roadmap for the SMEs of the European Rail Supply Chain members of our Clusters. For this we considered important to map, gather, analyse and benchmark key achievements and methodologies, tools and practices implemented by: (A) the First Generation (2016-2017) of ESCP-4i in the Preparation Phase (B) the First Generation (2016-2017) of ESCP-4i in...